Grenfell Tower: Government sends in ‘taskforce’

A taskforce will be sent in to take over parts of Kensington and Chelsea Council in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, the BBC understands.

The council has been heavily criticised for its handling of the disaster on 14 June that killed at least 80 people.

Both the council leader and chief executive have resigned as a result.

Now the government is expected to order a taskforce to take over the housing department, as well as other council operations.

BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said it is not yet clear who will be on the team going in.

A written statement is expected from Communities Secretary Sajid Javid later.

Eleanor Kelly, chief executive of Southwark Council and spokeswoman for the Grenfell Response Team, said the taskforce would be “very welcome”.

She told BBC Radio London: “This is a disaster on a national scale and there are responses that are necessary, particularly within the communities of North Kensington, that are well outside of business as usual.

“We can’t stay in a crisis mode for an extended period of time because everybody needs to actually feel that things have gone back to a level of stability [and] a level of control.”